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Will Ferrell

Will FerrellAKA John William Ferrell

Born: 16-Jul-1967
Birthplace: Irvine, CA

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Comic

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Saturday Night Live

Will Ferrell was a class clown, but high school administrators harnessed his talent by having Ferrell read the morning announcements over the public address system, in assorted silly and disguised voices. In college, Ferrell was still causing trouble. "I would find out what classroom certain friends were in," Ferrell says, "and then dress up as a janitor and show up in the middle of class. There was a high level English class and the teacher actually encouraged me. He would see me on campus and say 'Come by in two weeks and just screw around.' So I would stand outside the door with a power drill and just pretend like I was working on stuff, so I'd do stuff like that. And I killed one person."

He worked as a sportscaster on a local cable station, where management wanted him to read scores and cover sports, but Ferrell found such facts instantly tedious and stifling. Ferrell started showing up at coffee houses on open mike nights, and appearing at comedy clubs. In 1991, he signed up for workshops with The Groundlings improv group. After a few months, he was invited to be a Groundling himself, and worked with Chris Kattan and Ana Gasteyer.

In 1995, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. In his first sketch, he played a suburban husband hosting the neighbors for a barbecue, interrupting the chit-chat to shout psychotic threats at his off-screen children. "Get off the shed! Get off the damn shed!... I will punch you in the face if you don't get off the shed!" Over the next seven seasons, he became an audience favorite, as George W. Bush, Cubs sportscaster Harry Caray, Craig the cheerleader, middle school teacher Marty Culp, Robert Goulet, nude model Terrence Maddox, Janet Reno, and Alex Trebek. In one of many one-time sketches, he provided "more cowbell" for Blue Oyster Cult, on Christopher Walken's command. SNL's skits with Ferrell were almost always at least semi-funny, and the show's writers worked Ferrell into more and more skits.

While on SNL, Ferrell and Kattan took a recurring skit about head-bopping losers and expanded it into a feature film, A Night at the Roxbury, which flopped disastrously. Ferrell also appeared in supporting roles and cameos in numerous other comedies, including amusing turns as henchmen in Zoolander and Austin Powers flicks, and as skulking journalist Bob Woodward in the Watergate comedy Dick. He has since blossomed as a funny leading man in Old School, Anchorman, and Stranger than Fiction.

Father: Lee Farrell (keyboardist, The Righteous Brothers)
Mother: Kay Overman Farrell
Brother: Patrick Ferrell (b. 1970)
Wife: Viveca Paulson (art auctioneer, m. 12-Aug-2000, three sons)
Son: Magnus Paulin Ferrell (b. 7-Mar-2004)
Son: Matthias Ferrell (b. 30-Dec-2006)
Son: Axel Ferrell (b. 23-Jan-2010)

    High School: University High School, Irvine, CA (1986)
    University: BA Sports Information, University of Southern California (1990)

    Funny or Die Co-Founder (2007)
    Endorsement of Apple
    Endorsement of Chrysler Dodge Durango (as Ron Burgundy, 2013)
    Endorsement of Disneyland
    Endorsement of Gap (2001)
    Endorsement of Miller Brewing Company (2001)
    Endorsement of Pabst Brewing Company Old Milwaukee Beer (2011-12)
    Groundlings 1990s
    Delta Tau Delta Fraternity
    Endorsement of Procter & Gamble Old Spice deodorant (2008)
    Boston Marathon 4:02:29 (2003)

    TELEVISION
    The Office (U.S.) Deangelo Vickers (2011)
    Eastbound & Down Ashley Schaeffer (2009)
    Saturday Night Live (1995-2002)

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (6-Feb-2019)
    Holmes & Watson (25-Dec-2018)
    Daddy's Home 2 (8-Nov-2017)
    The House (29-Jun-2017)
    Zoolander 2 (4-Feb-2016)
    Daddy's Home (9-Dec-2015)
    The Spoils Before Dying (8-Jul-2015)
    Get Hard (16-Mar-2015)
    The LEGO Movie (1-Feb-2014) [VOICE]
    The Spoils of Babylon (9-Jan-2014)
    Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (24-Nov-2013)
    The Campaign (4-Aug-2012) · Cam Brady
    Casa de Mi Padre (13-Mar-2012)
    Megamind (30-Oct-2010) · Megamind [VOICE]
    Everything Must Go (10-Sep-2010)
    The Other Guys (6-Aug-2010) · Allen Gamble
    Land of the Lost (5-Jun-2009) · Dr. Rick Marshall
    Step Brothers (25-Jul-2008)
    Semi-Pro (19-Feb-2008)
    Blades of Glory (30-Mar-2007)
    Stranger Than Fiction (9-Sep-2006)
    Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (4-Aug-2006)
    Curious George (10-Feb-2006) [VOICE]
    The Producers (16-Dec-2005) · Franz Liebkind
    Winter Passing (10-Sep-2005)
    Bewitched (24-Jun-2005)
    Kicking & Screaming (13-May-2005)
    The Wendell Baker Story (11-Mar-2005) · Dave
    Wake Up, Ron Burgundy (28-Dec-2004)
    Melinda and Melinda (17-Sep-2004) · Hobie
    Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (9-Jul-2004) · Ron Burgundy
    Elf (7-Nov-2003) · Buddy
    Old School (13-Feb-2003) · Frank
    Zoolander (28-Sep-2001)
    Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (24-Aug-2001) · Willenholly
    The Ladies Man (10-Oct-2000)
    The Thin Pink Line (7-Oct-2000)
    Drowning Mona (2-Jan-2000) · Cubby
    Superstar (05-Oct-1999)
    Dick (23-Jul-1999)
    Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (8-Jun-1999)
    The Suburbans (25-Jan-1999)
    A Night at the Roxbury (1-Oct-1998)
    Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (2-May-1997)
    Men Seeking Women (8-Mar-1997) · Al
    The Death Artist (12-Sep-1995)


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